Locals advance in military careers

Military spouse

Special to the Courier

POSTED:April 17, 2012 5:00 p.m.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Athena M. Williams Fields, a 1999 Liberty County High School graduate, and fellow sailors and Marines aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise recently hosted a material, maintenance and management assist team, as they evaluated the ship’s 3M program.The 3MA team is responsible for assessing Enterprise’s 3M program and training sailors to be more successful at 3M. The team conducts multiple spot checks with various work-centers in an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the ship’s 3M program. Enterprise Carrier Strike Group is deployed in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.

Graves, colleagues ‘Crews into Shape’Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Bryan R. Graves, son of Lori J. Graves of Allenhurst and Terrence R. Graves of Lakewood, Wash., is deployed. Graves, along with fellow sailors and Marines assigned the amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans, started a “Crews into Shape” fitness program. The 12th annual challenge, sponsored by the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, is a four-week long event held at the beginning of every March in conjunction with National Nutrition Month. The New Orleans’ Crews into Shape team is made up of 10 sailors. Points are awarded to each member who engages in at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, 20 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise or muscle-strengthening exercise that works all major muscle groups. This year’s challenge includes 730 Department of Defense personnel members broken into 130 teams. Once the challenge concludes, points are tallied up and put into a database so teams from across the DoD can see where they rank. New Orleans and embarked Marines assigned to the 11th Marine MEU are deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group. Graves is a 2006 graduate of Yelm High School of Yelm, Wash., and joined the Navy in August 2006.

Baird graduates from basic trainingAir Force Airman Dustin J. Baird graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.Baird, a 2010 graduate of Youth Challenge Academy on Fort Stewart, is the son of Tonia and Ronald Baird of Acworth.

Kane graduates from basic trainingArmy Pfc. Sabrina A. Kane has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C.Kane, a 2010 graduate of Bradwell Institute, is the daughter of Stan and Heidrun Kane of Hinesville. Allen graduates from basic trainingArmy Pfc. Karlinda Z. Allen has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. Allen is the daughter of Zenovia Woods of Second Street, Colfax, La., and niece of Daisy McDonald of Hinesville. Allen is a 2008 graduate of Pineville High School, La.

Hendley graduates from basic trainingArmy Pvt. Joshua J. Hendley has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C.Hendley, a 2011 graduate of Bradwell Institute, is the son of Charlotte Bowers of Hinesville.

Carr graduates from basic trainingArmy Pfc. Marcus D. Carr has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. Carr is the son of Veda Bingham of Athens and Marcus Carr of Fort Stewart. He is a 2010 graduate of the Academy of Richmond County in Augusta.